If you are missing several teeth, there are a few cosmetic and general wellness issues to confront. Fortunately, Hawaii Pacific Dental Group, serving East Honolulu, offers restorative dentistry options to overcome tooth loss. The recommended method to addressing multiple missing teeth is with dental implants that support dental bridges or dentures.
Dr. Rohinton Patel and his team can provide you with dental implants for multiple tooth replacement. This approach boasts many advantages, including decades of reliable performance.
How Tooth Loss Affects Your Health
Multiple missing teeth can make it difficult to eat certain foods and maintain a balanced diet. What’s more, the remaining teeth can shift out of place, causing discomfort. Changes to tooth alignment can also make it more challenging to perform oral hygiene routines, putting you at risk for dental decay and gum disease.
Another major drawback of missing teeth is jaw bone deterioration. Without the tooth root stimulating the nearby jawbone, the bone matter begins to break down.
Gaps in your smile can also affect your self-confidence, making it less likely you will laugh and share your smile with others.
Implant-supported Bridges and Dentures
Dental implants are titanium posts that are embedded in the jaw and fuse with the bone over time. The implant then performs the function of a tooth root. A bridge or denture is attached to the implants.
The type of restoration you receive will depend on the number of teeth you are missing:
- Dental bridge: This type of restoration is usually used for people missing two to four consecutive missing teeth.
- Partial denture: Patients with four or more missing teeth in a row will need a partial denture to fill the gap in their teeth.
- Full denture: This is a full arch restoration designed to replace all the teeth on your bottom or top jaw, or both.
- All-on-4®: Some patients may be eligible for this system that retains a full denture with four implants.
Candidates for Dental Implants
To be eligible for dental implants, you will need sufficient jawbone density to retain the implants. If you do not have enough jawbone mass, you can receive a bone graft to improve your candidacy.
To receive dental implants, patients should be in good enough health to undergo oral surgery. It may be too risky to receive this treatment if you have certain systemic health problems, such as heart disease or autoimmune disorders.
The Advantages of Implant Dentistry
Receiving implant-retained bridges or dentures allows patients to smile, converse, chew, and bite as they would with natural teeth. There is no worry that restoration will slip out of place.
Besides, functioning just like real teeth, caring for implant-supported restorations is the same as natural teeth, making for easy at-home hygiene routines.
Finally, in stimulating the jaw, dental implants also preserve your jawbone and facial structure.
Learn More about Implant-retained Bridges and Dentures Today
Find out how dental implants can restore your smile and oral health. Reach out to our practice using our online form.
